Moss ID please

[MissMinerva]

Figured I'd come to the moss experts. I've had this growing for 3 months. It seems this is about as tall as it's going to get. I thought it was just some super healthy, regular java moss. But, is certainly is growing differently. Is this a differrent species of Java Moss? Sorry the pics aren't better! Thanks for any help!







Jan

[Green Baron]

Jan,
Your moss looks like Taxiphyllum sp which Java Moss belongs to.
We'll not be able to identify the species name unless you know the origin of the moss and send us some samples.

[Ryan M]

I gave my sister some x-mas moss last year and when I saw it last week it looked exactly like your moss fronds in size, shape and growth pattern...try growing some emersed and see if it branches out...that might help with the id.

[MissMinerva]

What's strange is that I got this in a trade when I was looking for xmas moss. When I got this it just looked like a nice, healthy clump of java moss. I was pretty disappointed. I left it in a bowl of water for almost a month before I attached it to the driftwood cuz I already had tons of java moss.

I was very surprised to see how it grew. It's now starting to branch out more each day. It'll be interesting to see how the fronds look in a bit. I do have other xmas moss that is quite different from this, though. Much more coarse looking.

Ryan, when you gave your sister the moss did it already have the xmas type fronds or did it look more like java moss?

[timebomb]

Jan,

If Gan had not said Taxyphyllum, my first guess would be Erect Moss.
Gan has a sharp eye for details so he's probably right.

Java Moss don't usually grow the way they do in your pictures. It definitely does not look like the Christmas I know. It could be Singapore but it's hard to tell from pictures. Do you know where the moss comes from? Who did you trade with? Someone from Singapore?

Loh K L

[MissMinerva]

I certainly don't doubt Gan's expertise! I do believe it's a type of java moss, too. I traded with someone in the US on one of the aquaria forums. I did not know this person and don't think I saved their name.

I will wait til it branches out more and go from there. Even if I don't know exactly what it is, it's still very beautiful.

I appreciate the help I've gotten here!

Jan

[Green Baron]

After seeing so many species of mosses from all over the world, I am starting to lose confidence in being able to ID mosses from photo.

Some species, such as the Xmas and Singapore mosses are so variable that it is impossible to id from just their physical characteristics. However, Erect Moss and Taxiphyllum are probably the easiest to ID visually.

Leaves of the Taxiphyllum species are usually neatly arranged flat along both side of the stem and the whole frond appear very 2 dimensional. Leaves of Erect Moss on the other hand are usually more pointed and are arranged in somewhat haphazardly along the stem, and the frond points upwards.

If we were to look back at this photo posted by KL sometime back in the Moss Quiz thread


You can see the leaves of #1 and #4 appear more 2-dimensional that the rest, thus they are most likely Taxipyllum spp (Java/Taiwan)

The leaves of #3 are more pointed and are arranged in is a tightly pack spiral fashion and thus most likely Erect Moss.

If you take a closer look at the photo you posted

you can see 2 fronds which show the Taxiphyllum characteristics, that was why I think it is a Taxiphyllum. Then again I could be wrong..

Please post a photo say in a month's time and hopefully by then it will reveal its true identity.

[MissMinerva]

Thank you, Gan. I don't know how you keep all this straight. It is very confusing.

[jerryC]

Jan,

My experience with mosses shows me that on different lighting the mosses has different effect and shape. Let me give you an example my Taiwan mosses where supposed to be triangular in shape but instead the grow on single strands for about 2inches before it takes triangular shape by side sprouting.

I'll give your mosses a bit more time for them to take shape. What I have noticed from your pict shows signs of side sprouting.

jerryC

[MissMinerva]

Hi Jerry,

Yes. Each day there are more side sprouts. It will be very interesting to watch this grow! This is a relative low light tank. No Co2. I just started dosing Excel about 2 weeks ago. I'll post another pic when it starts taking shape.

Jan

[Jrustandy]

jan. is it the same moss as yours?
when i bought it, the selller said that this is xmass moss

[MissMinerva]

Jimmy,

It's kinda hard to tell from your pic. When I got mine they were single strands with no fronds at all. After I tied it to the driftwood it started growing straight up. It went up to about 5" before a single frond started showing. (I actually liked it better that way )

I'm going to post another pic in a couple of weeks when the fronds grow out more. I have to go out to California for a week to see my dad and I'm praying that the neighbors follow my instructions while I'm gone! Four tanks and dozens of fish and plants and I'm a nervous wreck!!!

Jan

[whuntley]

Jan,

I have learned the hard way (i.e., lived long enough to make every mistake in the book) that it does not pay to have anyone looking after fish and plants for a time away of less that a month.

I have left new babies with expert breeders, but generally just make sure that the older fish are not fed for the last day, before a good-sized water change. Low ammonia is better than feeding for a few weeks. Don't try to "stuff" them, for sure.

Oleg Kiselev went to Russia for three weeks, and returned to find mortality in his fishroom was less than when he was at home. As I recall, he lost one fish out of a big fishroom with dozens of tanks. None of his tanks was overcrowded, and he had Java Moss o/e in most of them.

I have follwed his lead for 10-12-day periods and it was far, far better than losing a friend because he/she was so upset at killing fish. Even tiny fish, like Diapterons, Het. formosaand Blue-Eyes seemed to thrive on the fasting period. Instruct whomever is caring for your tanks to only remove any obviously dead fish.

I have even left newly-hatched babies with an inch-or-so piece of lettuce leaf floating in their shoebox. It generated enough infusoria to keep them growing, nicely.

Wright